


Pair Skate

by byesweetheart (ConstantComment)



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Chance Meetings, College, Fluff, Ice Skating, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 23:07:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18883093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ConstantComment/pseuds/byesweetheart
Summary: They got there in the late afternoon, just as the sky turned orange-purple in sunset, and Tobio silently took in the flashing, zipping lights of the rides and kiosks against the vivid backdrop while the other guys laughed and shoved each other further into the park. Turning a corner and dodging a very large stuffed koala hoisted by a very small child, Tobio spotted more lights, but this time green and blue and pink and spinning in shimmery shapes, framed by lasers and string lights along the edges of an ice rink.On an outing to Toshimaen Amusement Park with his teammates, Tobio runs into someone he knows.





	Pair Skate

**Author's Note:**

  * For [dagorhir (Dagorhir)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dagorhir/gifts).



> Man, I love these two. OODLES of thanks to notallbees who gave this fluff-fest a read through and OODLES of love to beleghir who requested ice skating and warm hands. <3
> 
> (I couldn't come up with a good title other than Godzilla!!! On Ice but I couldn't fully commit (^ワ^＝) Well, I think it's funny anyway. Also, this real-life ice rink is outside of the park apparently but, uh... who cares?)

Even if he would never be caught dead spending time on something as silly and useless as a theme park on any normal day, Tobio found there were no ‘normal’ days when you went to university. As much as his teammates seemed to obsess about volleyball, almost to the same degree as he did, they still wanted to skip their Sunday training to check out the amusement park, which was not actually confirmed to be amusing, and dragged Tobio with them despite the fact that he was not confirmed to be very amusing either. 

They got there in the late afternoon, just as the sky turned orange-purple in sunset, and Tobio silently took in the flashing, zipping lights of the rides and kiosks against the vivid backdrop while the other guys laughed and shoved each other further into the park. Turning a corner and dodging a very large stuffed koala hoisted by a very small child, Tobio spotted more lights, but this time green and blue and pink and spinning in shimmery shapes, framed by lasers and string lights along the edges of an ice rink. 

He'd only ever skated once, when he was very small and a fall was only inches from the hard ice. But, at least skating was less deadly than riding one of those boats that flipped you upside-down until you barfed. Probably. Barely paying attention to his friends, Tobio’s steps slowed until he came to a stop by the edge of the rink, watching a girl half his age float by under the lights before she spun into the air and landed on one thin blade. 

Tobio blinked. Maybe skating was deadly after all — you had to balance and do crazy stunts on sharp objects at high speeds to win anything worthwhile. 

He watched for a while until the music transitioned to something fussy and classical like the stuff his mom listened to, and he was about to move away to find the other guys when he saw someone he knew. 

“Iwaizumi-san.” 

He didn’t realize he had practically barked the name until the owner of the name startled from his slow, steady journey around the rink and skidded to a stop on his skates. Frowning, Iwaizumi turned his head and looked out into the crowd. He was both the same and different: spiky deep-brown hair cropped short, but shorter on the sides, posture cool and solid under his red winter jacket that, when Tobio took him in, he noticed was embroidered on the chest with the emblem of the amusement park. Steam billowed from Iwaizumi’s mouth on a long exhale before he spotted Tobio. 

Tobio wasn’t sure what he was going to do now that he’d inadvertently announced his intention to socialize with his former senpai… other than socialize. 

Tobio was definitely confirmed to be pretty _terrible_ at socializing. 

“Kageyama? Hey.” 

"Uh," Tobio said. Then, "Hello." 

Iwaizumi glided over to the side of the rink where Tobio clutched at the barrier, hands stinging for a moment from how cold the metal fencing was. He watched Iwaizumi skid to a stop, blades wet with ice carved from the surface of the rink, black skates shining and sleek apart from a funny little Godzilla sticker by his shoelaces. "How've you been? You here to skate?" 

Tobio blinked at him, at his shorter hair and his high collared jacket and his chapped-red lips, before shaking his head. "Friends — uhm, I — my teammates came for the rides. I think." 

Iwaizumi looked a little puzzled, until a familiar sort of exasperation flitted across his brow, then softened, like he was remembering something fond. "You haven't changed much," he said, and his eyes bore into him a little in that way Tobio could never really read, like something was sad — or funny? — followed by, "Where'd your teammates go?" 

Tobio suddenly looked around. "Oh," he muttered, starting to chew on his lip as he realized... yeah, he'd lost them. "I don't know." 

"Maybe check the lost and found." Iwaizumi's low voice was tinged with laughter. 

Funny, then. 

Tobio turned to him, stomach flipping when he realized his old senpai was teasing him and grinning while he did it. "Yeah, maybe," Tobio replied. "What are you doing here?" 

"Skating," Iwaizumi supplied, and his laughter caught free for several seconds before he added. "I work here on weekends. Make sure everyone's safe during free skate." 

"And," Tobio licked his lips, and Iwaizumi leaned on the barrier with one elbow, looking at the crowd zooming by in the tight circle of the rink. "How are you?" 

Iwaizumi looked back at him. "I'm pretty good. Studying bio-chem. Intramural volleyball. Coaching peewee league during the season. Part-timing here in the winter." 

"You aren't playing volleyball?" 

"Not like you, no," he said. "But, I'm actually having a good time with non-competitive stuff. Got an injury first year that put me out and kind of... found other shit that worked?" 

Tobio nodded, even though he couldn’t really imagine it. Iwaizumi Hajime — without that intense look of concentration, right before slamming the ball down on the other team’s side. Without the fierceness of winning. 

"You're at Tokai, right?" 

Tobio nodded, leaning forward as well and scuffing his sneakers against the barrier. "Yeah. Got a scholarship." 

"No shit. They'd be stupid not to give you one," Iwaizumi said, and his small grin was back. Tobio wasn't sure he'd ever seen him smile all that much. 

It was weird. Weirdly fascinating. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted to watch him more, to see it happen again. Like poking a jellyfish on the beach. 

"Thanks, Iwaizumi-san." 

Another person in the same jacket skated by, whistling quick to get Iwaizumi's attention, and his back straightened. He pushed away from where he'd been leaning toward Tobio on the barrier, and cleared his throat. 

"Hey, I can’t hang out right now, but I'm off at six if you want to catch up. Wanna hear about your season.” 

“O-okay. Nice." Kageyama pulled his phone out of his pocket and ignored the unread messages that popped up. Six wasn't so far away. "Thank you,” he said automatically, and swallowed when he realized there wasn't any reason to say so. 

“Ten minutes, yeah?” 

Tobio nodded. Watched Iwaizumi lean back in and punch him gently on the arm. 

Tobio smiled. Grimaced? 

Apparently, Iwaizumi had poked his own jellyfish the right way, because he smirked and zoomed off into the crowd. 

Tobio, on the other hand, started to sweat. 

He checked his messages after watching Iwaizumi make his way around the rink twice, only to not respond when it turned out to be his teammates wondering where he'd gone. He thought about replying nearly as many times as there were messages, but then he thought about them coming back to the rink, and thought about having to introduce Iwaizumi, and having to manage all of it at once... 

"I know you’re not here to skate, but d’you wanna try it?" 

Tobio looked up, and his senpai was back, looking a little out-of-breath, cheeks ruddy from the cold or something. 

"Are you not allowed to leave?" 

"I’m _allowed_ — ” He broke off with a laugh. “I'm gonna change outta my jacket so no one bothers me but I can get you in for free. If you want." 

Tobio swallowed again. "Okay." 

" _If you want, Kageyama,_ ” Iwaizumi said again. 

"I want — I do, yeah. I don't really know how." 

"It's easy. I'll show you." 

Tobio found himself on the ice minutes later, ankles tilted awkwardly as he balanced in his skates and tried not to lose any more of his hold on gravity when Iwaizumi looked at him in a certain way, explaining the basics that he'd once learned a long time ago. He couldn't really place why it... 

He was nervous for some reason. 

"You got this," Iwaizumi said, amused again. He drifted slowly backwards in his dark green sweatshirt (also godzilla) as Tobio scooted out onto the ice. 

"You said this was easy. I better not break anything, Iwaizumi-san." 

"I won't let you." 

"Better not." 

"Nope." 

"Is this just to show that you're better at something than me?" 

Iwaizumi snorted, folding his hands behind his back as Tobio lunged for the railing for a moment. "That is something _Oikawa_ would do, definitely. Remember I'm the nicer one?” He considered this for a second. “That’s not saying much, is it? But, if this isn’t fun we don't have to do — " 

"I'm fine!" Tobio barked. "Sorry, sorry." He took a deep breath and straightened up, slowly pushing one skate behind him. Then the other. It was sort of like rollerblading. But cold. 

"There you go," said Iwaizumi, voice low. "Gold medal material." 

"Shut up." 

"Sorry," he said, but only when he caught Tobio's smile wobbling across his lips. They moved slowly through the crowd of skaters, slid quietly under the bright, patterned lights, and Tobio watched Iwaizumi watching him. Like looking at a solid, distant point to keep balance, Iwaizumi was steady, and sure, and Tobio felt somehow less nervous, even as he felt his heart speed up a little. He watched Iwaizumi's thin mouth open gently, before he called out over the music and the murmur of the people around them, "You seem happier. It's good to see you again, Kageyama." 

Tobio's face went hot. "Y-you too — _augh!_ " 

Even as it happened, in slow motion just like the movies, Tobio could feel Iwaizumi's hands scramble over his pinwheeling arms to try and keep him upright. But, it was too late. And then time was speeding up as Tobio's hands skidded over the ice, his butt hit the ground, his legs bent awkwardly in front of him like sad, broken pocky sticks. 

"You made it pretty far, Kageyama," Iwaizumi was saying through the haze of Tobio's embarrassment. 

"That really doesn't make me feel any better." 

Iwaizumi laughed again, and moved around him in a quick, effortless loop, strong legs floating, before he leaned over and hooked his arms under Tobio's armpits. Breath at his ear startled Tobio out of his embarrassment, and he squeezed his eyes shut when Iwaizumi said, "On three?" 

Tobio let him lift him up until they were both somehow standing, aligned hip to shoulder, on the ice. 

Iwaizumi didn't let go. 

"Let's try again," Tobio said. 

Even though Iwaizumi was warm, Tobio slowly moved away to make his way around the rink, and then again, with his senpai at his side. And, after a while, it _was_ fun, and Tobio forgot to worry when Iwaizumi asked him more questions about school, and volleyball, and his family and the other Karasuno guys, and Tobio even remembered to ask some of his own questions here and there. 

Funnily enough, being around Iwaizumi — without their other former classmate, _the 'Great King'_ — was almost easy. 

And he laughed at Tobio, but not in the mean way that people sometimes did. Just like he was remembering an old memory. 

Tobio felt the same in a way, like finding an old shirt you'd forgotten you liked. 

He never really felt that way about people. He couldn’t remember feeling that way about Iwaizumi in high school, so preoccupied with the irritation of a new team and the itch to surpass the people he looked up to. 

But, today Iwaizumi was… somehow… something worn, and warm. Known in a crowd of wild, neon unknowns. 

It was their fifteenth go around the rink when Tobio rubbed at his wrist again, and this time he — and Iwaizumi — noticed. 

Looking down, Tobio saw it was a little roughed up from his fall, palm red with a light scrape. His hand felt hot and raw, but he didn’t have time to contemplate how stupid that was, considering he’d slipped on the ice — because Iwaizumi was making a soft, concerned noise and holding his own hands out, palm up. 

Tobio unthinkingly placed his hand into them as couples and kids and loud conversation parted to move around them. “It’s not too bad,” he muttered, wincing when Iwaizumi’s thumb traced lightly over the pinkest part. 

“You’re right, you’ll be fine. Shoulda given you some gloves. I never end up wearing mine.” 

Instead of commenting on how warm Iwaizumi's hands were, Tobio managed to croak, "Not broken." 

" _Man,_ don't joke — I'd die if that happened. Gotta protect these perfect setter hands of yours!" 

Tobio looked up to see that Iwaizumi wasn’t looking at his hand but at him. For some reason, Tobio's face went hot _again._ Not great timing, when Iwaizumi was looking at it. “S’okay, Iwaizumi-san," he muttered eventually. 

“I know," Iwaizumi replied. "How ‘bout I buy you a hot chocolate to make up for it, anyway?” 

Tobio frowned. “Alright, but… can we keep skating for a bit?” 

Iwaizumi’s lips twitched, and he began sliding backwards on his skates, pulling Tobio by the wrist. Tobio stuttered on his rentals to keep up, but although he was clumsy, Iwaizumi didn’t go too fast for him, just glided around the rink a couple more times under pink then green then blue lights, asking him how he liked Tokyo and steadying him with hands on his arms if things got too unsteady again. 

And things got too unsteady, especially when Tobio got too comfortable, too confident and urging his senpai to go faster, and then he was nearly toppling over — 

And Iwaizumi had him around the waist with his hands fisted under his puffy jacket, and Tobio nearly fell again when the realization sent him reeling. 

“It’s okay,” Iwaizumi echoed with a chuckle, hands sliding slowly over his ribs until Tobio could be trusted to stand on his own. “I will tackle you to the ground before I let you break your damn arms.” 

Tobio snorted. But, whatever he was going to say was lost when he noticed his senpai’s eyelashes were dark and thick, spiky like his brown hair. And very close. 

Tobio gulped. “Hot chocolate,” he blurted down the several inches at Iwaizumi, who blinked before rolling his eyes. 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah — can we — now? Go get some?” 

Iwaizumi’s smile grew wider. “You’re still weird, Kageyama.” 

Tobio huffed as they struggled slowly to the entrance to the rink. “I’m not trying to be.” 

“It’s good. It’s good, don’t… don’t worry.” 

Tobio watched him stutter out of the corner of his eye. 

“I like it,” Iwaizumi added after a long pause. His cheeks were pink, too. 

And Tobio blushed all through the return of his shoes, and the walk to the little outdoor kiosk nearby, and then the evening spent under the park lights, catching up.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, comments and kudos give me life. <3 
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/byesweetheart_) | [Pillowfort](https://www.pillowfort.io/byesweetheart)


End file.
